| Tip #4: TEST: How can I feed my
electronic gadgets? |
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Batteries are (most of the time) the weakest link in our small
gadgets. Because of that the first question is usually how long will
our device run on fully charged batteries and how quickly can I
recharge or replaced empty batteries. This was the reason why I have
decided to check what are the power supply options for flyWithCE
Flight recorder. Since flight recorder can be powered by standard
AAA batteries or by external USB power supply this article is
interesting also for users that have similar devices.
Disclaimer: The selection of the products is based on my personal
research. All products were bought and tested and were not donated
by manufacturers.
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| Option 1: Normal batteries |
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| Normal alkaline batteries
are quick solution when your forgot to recharge the batteries after
your last flight. AAA battery size is one of the most common battery
types and you can get them in almost every store. But because this
is not very cost effective and also not eco friendly I would suggest
that you use this option only when you have to. |
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| Option 2: Rechargeable batteries |
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| Rechargeable
batteries |
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| I would recommend 1000mAh NiMH
rechargeable batteries. The manufacturer is not that important, but
I personally use Duracell batteries and tests showed that with those
batteries flyWithCE Flight Recorder can work up to 8 hours. |
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| Battery
charger |
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| Good battery charger is maybe even more important
than batteries itself. When you are searching for new battery
charger the speed at which batteries are recharged is not the only
factor that you should look for.
Batteries are recharged independently
Most chargers will charge
two batteries at the same time.
Because batteries are recharged in pair you will not know when
performance of one
battery will deteriorate. When device is charging single battery then
charging program is adjusted to each battery. It also comes handy,
when your daughter comes with only one empty battery for her MP3 player.
Different charging programs
Normal chargers will start charging immediately. Half full
batteries will be charged and in time memory effect will lower the
batteries capacity. It is good if charger has discharge option. Some
chargers can cycle several discharge/charge cycles and refresh
batteries.
12V, 110V and 220V operation
It is convinient if you can take
the charger with you while you are traveling. 12V car adapter also
helps. I am using now my third battery charger (not counting old
NiCd chargers). Last year I bought
VOLTCRAFT IPC-1 battery charger and I can say that this charger
improved battery life of my old rechargeable batteries. It has all
described functions plus some extra features. |
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| Option 4: USB power supply from
rechargeable battery pack |
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| To further extend the
battery life of your electronic gadget external battery pack is
interesting option. They can use batteries with higher capacity. The
output is standard USB voltage so you can power any device that
standard USB cable for recharging. When you are connecting flyWithCE
Flight recorder you do not need internal batteries. |
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| VARTA Backup
Charger 57051 |
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VARTA Backup Charger 57051 is interesting and when batteries are
not inserted the housing collapses and is quite small. It comes with
two AA 2100mAh rechargeable batteries, but can also work with two
AAA batteries. Housing can be used for recharging the batteries or
as external power supply for your device. There is a single switch
with which you can select the operation mode. |
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| AAA battery
case |
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| I have also tested the cheap battery
case which can hold 4 AAA batteries. The output voltage is not
regulated and there is only diode which ensures that the batteries
are correctly inserted and "converts" the output voltage close to
USB voltage. Because of that I would recommend that you use this
battery pack only with normal batteries. But since the whole idea is
to recharge and reuse the batteries I would not recommend this
battery case. |
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| Option 3: USB power supply from
(solar) rechargeable battery pack |
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| Some chargers have
additional solar cell with which you can extend the battery life or
recharge the batteries. |
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| Volicraft SL-2 |
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| My first pick was
VOLTCRAFT hybrid solar charger which comes with two standard AA
2500mAh rechargeable batteries. I like their decision where they
have used standard sized batteries. You can quickly exchange the
empty batteries for already recharged set. Because solar cells try
to recharge the battery pack you can use only rechargeable NiMH
batteries. The down side is that the housing is quite bulky. It is
much bigger than the flight recorder and also the solar cell could
be bigger. |
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| Universal solar
charger from LogiLink |
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| Because of that I have decided to try
out one more backup power supply device with solar cell. This was
Universal Solar charger from LogiLink. It has non removable 1500mAh LiPo rechargeable battery. Housing is thin and slick and has
built in quite large solar cell. According to the documentation the
internal battery can be recharged in 8 - 10 hours using solar power
or in 2 hours using 230V AC charger. There is also status LED
which shows if battery is charging or it is full. Device has
additional white LED and can be used as small backup light. All
devices come with cables, but the range of cables and power supply
adaptors is quite long. The device could be charged via USB, sun and
AC power (AC adaptor works from 100 - 230V). |
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| Option 5: USB power supply from 12V socket |
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| If battery life is not long enough or
you would like to be certain that you will not run out of juice at
the end of very long cross country flight you can also power
flyWithCE Flight Recorder trough USB adapter. Appropriate power
adapters are easy to find and can be bought in almost every mobile
phone shop. You can use standard USB 12V car charger. One possible
and low cost option is also
USB charger from DealExtreme. When you use USB power supply
then you do not need to insert the batteries into flyWithCE Flight
recorder. If they will be
inserted they will not be recharged. |
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| Conclusion |
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| Here are the test results
which were measured with flyWithCE Flight recorder which was set to
2 second recording interval. Both devices with solar cells were
tested on sunny day without internal AAA batteries. |
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| Device type |
Battery capacity |
Operation time |
| AAA battery case |
4 x 1000mAh NiMH |
7.0 hours |
| internal batteries |
2 x 1000mAh NiMH |
8.0 hours |
| VARTA Backup
Charger 57051 |
2 x 2100mAh NiMH |
9.5 hours |
| Volicraft SL-2 |
2 x 2500mAh NiMH |
10.5 hours |
| Logilink Universal Solar charger |
1 x 1500mAh LiPo |
11.0 hours |
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| First the disappointment -
AAA battery case. Four rechargeable batteries lasted even less than two internal
AAA batteries. Based on this result I would not recommend this
device. The biggest surprise was VARTA Backup Charger which
extended the operation of the flyWithCE Flight recorder for another
1.5 hour and powered the device for 9.5 hours. This is simple, small
and cheap solution. If you are looking for a device with built in
solar cell then I would suggest the LogiLink device. With smallest
battery it was able to power the device
for 11 hours.
And if you have possibility to connect to the plane's main
battery then the 12V to USB power converter is the simplest
solution, where you will avoid batteries altogether. |
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Finally, please enjoy using your flyWithCE Flight Recorder and
remember please to
email us
with any observations or suggestions. |
